Venugopal Acharya's Blog

I want to share a very personal journey – a realization that transformed not just my own spiritual practice, but my entire approach to guiding others on this sacred path.

Years ago, I would faithfully attend maṅgal-ārati at 5:00 a.m. in the temple and then sit with the devotees to chant japa for two hours. But gradually, I found myself quietly slipping away—or sometimes not showing up at all. Instead, I preferred to spend those precious early hours writing in my journal. At first it felt natu...

“The beginning of knowledge is ‘athato brahma jignasa’ – now let us inquire about the Absolute Truth.”
– Vedanta Sutra (1.1.1)

This morning, I listened to a lecture by Srila Prabhupada given on September 18, 1975, in Vrindavan, on the sixth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. His words revealed a crucial distinction that challenges how we understand our spiritual journey, our relationship with Lord Krishna, and the process of Bhakti Yo...

“It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions.”
– Bhagavad Gita (18.47)

Not long ago, a young man, relatively new to ISKCON culture, shared something with me. He had just gotten married, yet he was inspired to spend more and more time in...

“O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.”
– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.13)

Yesterday, I heard a class by His Holiness Radhanath Swami, given at Barsana in 2008, and I found some points striking and thoug...

“The eyes which do not look at the symbolic representations of the Personality of Godhead [His forms, name, quality, etc.] are like those printed on the plumes of a peacock.”
– Srimad Bhagavatam (2.3.22)

The One Attachment of Srimati Radharani

Even when She appeared in this world as the daughter of Vrishabhanu Maharaj and Kirtida Maharani,...

“Chastity is the fullness of fidelity — an undivided heart offered entirely to one beloved.”

The Limits of Our Senses

To understand Srimati Radharani’s pastimes with Krishna, we must first acknowledge that our blunt material senses are not the right instruments for this sacred work. With our eyes, ears, and mind, we gather knowledge of the world — analyzing people’...

“The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krishna, and to subdue it is more difficult than controlling the wind.”
– Bhagavad-gītā 6.34

Struggle is natural in japa. The mind resists, wanders, and protests. But if our chanting is only a battle with the mind, it can leave us drained and even vulnerable to seeking relief in worldly distractions.

When we are mentally or socially fatigued, the natural tendency is to seek relief. The mind looks for something that requires litt...

In the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, one of the most revered and yet most misunderstood aspects of devotion is the worship of Radha and Krishna in Parakiya-rasa — the transcendental mood where Radha and Krishna meet as lovers, not bound by the institution of marriage. While this may appear morally questionable from a material perspective, the tradition venerates these pastimes as the highest expression of divine l...

“If we want to know Kṛṣṇa, we must approach Rādhārāṇī, for She alone fully knows Him. And if we want to serve Kṛṣṇa, we must beg for Her mercy.”

Introduction: Head and Heart in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

There are two inseparable aspects of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: philosophy (tattva), which is the head, and pastimes (rasa), which are the heart. Some devotees lean too heavily on philosophy and find themselves becoming dry, with...

When truth is challenged, the Lord Himself empowers His devotee to defend it.”

The Challenge in Jaipur

In the early 18th century, the royal city of Jaipur became the stage for one of the most important debates in Gauḍīya history. King Jaya Singh II, a pious monarch, was overseeing the worship of Śrī Govindadeva, the beloved Deity originally served by Rūpa Gosvāmī in Vṛndāvana.

At that...